The gelation kinetics and solubility assay for deoxygenated hemoglobin S developed by Hofrichter, Ross and Eaton is being used to study the effect of amino acids, dipeptides and oligopeptides on gelation. The delay time of gelation is determined by monitoring turbidity changes at 800 nm. The solubility is determined from the supernatant infra-red spectra of the sample after the gel is sedimented at high speed in the ultracentrifuge. The anti-sickling effect of amino acids, dipeptides and oligopeptides can be determined by the amount of retardation of gelation and the increase of solubility of deoxygenated hemoglobin S. The ultimate goal of this project is to study the surface interactions of deoxygenated hemoglobin S and to find a therapeutic anti-sickling agent.